Dispensing container for mayonnaise and the like



H. P. HALL Filed March 26. 1935 DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR MAYONNAISE AND THE LIKE Dec. 22, 1936.

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7 III [1V VEN T 01? HHLL A TTORNE Y HHFOLO A Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR MAYONNAISE AND THE LIKE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing devices as employed for semi-fluid materials, such as peanut butter, mayonnaise, and similar substances. More particularly the present invention is in the nature of an improvement over the device of my co-pending application, filed on Feb. 27, 1934, under Serial No. 713,098.

The device of the copending application, above mentioned, comprises a closed container terminating at its lower end in a neck portion providing an outlet to which a cap, formed with a valved outlet, is applied and having a shaft extending lengthwise within the container and through an opening in its upper end wall, with a crank arm at its upper end and a propeller disk at its lower end located within the cap, whereby the contents of the container may be forcibly ejected when the discharge opening is uncovered and the shaft is rotated.

While the prior device is satisfactory insofar as its general purpose and use are concerned, it is not satisfactorily economical to manufacture due to the requirement of providing the containers or glass jars with top end openings for the shaft and with suitable bushings for mounting the shaft. Furthermore, it is quite an item of expense to equip the jars with the propeller disks, shafts, and crank arm, and difficulty is sometimes experienced in packing for shipment or transportation.

In view of the various items of expense in manufacturing and difliculties of handling the device as heretofore manufactured, it has been the principal object of the present invention to provide a dispensing device of a similar kind but eliminating therefrom the undesirable features that are incident to use of the shaft and propeller, and substituting in their stead devices for applying air under pressure into the container as the means for effecting a forcible ejection of material, thus making possible the use of glass jar containers of standard construction, and materially reducing the cost of construction and the difiiculties of shipping heretofore experienced.

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in the provision of a dispensing device comprising a closed container terminating in a downwardly opening neck portion to which a cap with a valved discharge opening is applied and wherein an air pump is connected to deliver air through a flexible connection to a tube extending upwardly through the cap and into the container to a point near the upper end, so that a pr ssure m y e built p to s ve a t e j cting medium for dispensing the containers contents when the discharge opening is uncovered.

Other objects of the invention reside in the details of construction and combination of parts, and in their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are lilustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is a central, vertical section of a dispensing device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, sectional detail of the air tube mounting. I

Fig. 3 is a lower end view of the device.

Fig. 4 is a view of the container as filled and closed for shipment or storage.

Referring more in detail to the drawing 1 designates the container for the material to be dispensed. It is most desirable that the container be of glass but it might be of any other suitable material, and preferably would be of transparent material so that it will satisfactorily disclose its contents to view. In the present instance, the container is a standard form of glass jar, supported, when in use in an inverted position, as shown in Fig. 1. It has a fiat upper end wall 2 and at its lower end has a restricted neck portion 3 providing a discharge opening 4. The neck portion is exteriorly threaded and during transportation and storage may be closed by any of the ordinary types of screw caps, as at 5 in Fig. 4, but when in use has a novel form of dispensing cap 6 applied thereto, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

This cap 6 is cup shaped and is interiorly threaded about its upper end as at 6a and tapers slightly in a downward direction to a lower end wall 62) formed centrally with a discharge opening 1 over which a closure plate 8 is located. The plate 8 is held in place against the under side of wall 6b by a pivot screw 9 through one end thereof and threaded into the wall. It may be swung about the pivot by means of an extended handle portion 8a, thus to close or to uncover the opening 1. A leaf spring Ill is also mounted by the screw 9 to press upwardly against the plate to hold it tightly against the wall 6a and thus prevent leakage from the container.

Integral with a side wall of the cap is a boss l0 and a vertical bore II is formed upwardly through the boss and cap wall for passage of an air tube l2 which is extended upwardly within the container to near its upper end wall as seen in Fig. 1.

A metallic sleeve I3 is embedded in the cap coaxial of the bore II and a valve housing I 4 is threaded into the sleeve, while the lower end of tube I2 is threaded into the housing as seen in Fig. 2. A flexible tube 15 is connected. with the lower end of the air tube l2 and this leads to a hand pump l6 whereby air may be injected into the container. A backcheck valve I! is contained in thehousing M to retain any air pressure built up in the container.

Assuming the device to be so constructed, and assuming the container to be filled with a material to be dispensed, such as mayonnaise, the device is placed in use by applying the dispensing cap 6 and then inverting the container so that it will assume the position ofv Fig. 1. Then when it is desired to dispense contents from the container, the plate 8 is adjusted to uncover the opening 1 and air is delivered under pressure into the contain-er by actuation of the pump. This air pressure against. theicontents' of the container will efiect a positive flow thereof through the discharge opening, but the flow may be cut oil? at any time by moving the plate 8 to closed position.

A very desirable feature resides in the 'fact that the cap 6 mounts the tube l2 since removal of the cap also removes the tube from the container.

and designs without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A dispensing means comprising a closed con-- tainer having a lower end opening for filling, a closure cup applied over said opening; said cup having side walls taperedtoward a discharge port centrally in its bottom wall, a closure means for said port, a boss on the cup wall, having a vertical bore therethrough from the exterior to the interior of the cap for passage of an air tube, a back check valve housing threaded into said bore, a back check valve in said housing, an air tube mounted by the inner end of said valve housing and extended upwardly into the container, and means at the outer end of said valve housing for attachment of a conduit from a source of air.

pressure.

HAROLD P. HALL. 

